Urban Meyer has made a major impact on the Jacksonville Jaguars in the betting market for Week 15, but it's probably not the one he'd like anyone to know.
Despite a 2-11 record, the Jaguars were a 3.5-point favorite against the Houston Texans (also 2-11). But after the midnight firing of Meyer as Jacksonville's head coach, the betting odds have seen a significant change.
The Jaguars are now 5-point favorites (real-time odds here), meaning the market thinks the Jaguars are better off without Meyer than they were with him.
Bettors aren't alone in that thought.
Meyer's tenure has been highly-criticized almost from the start. From his personnel choices, to his draft, then his game-plans to his, uh, decision-making off the field, Meyer has been a walking trash fire.
Only the Chicago Bears and Texans average fewer yards per game offensively than the Jaguars this season. The Jags score just 13.8 points per game, ahead of only Houston at 13.6. No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence looks like a product of his poor situation, and star running back James Robinson is often an afterthought in the offense.
The Jaguars will turn head-coaching duties over to offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who has previous stops as offensive coordinator for the Vikings, Seahawks and Lions. He was also the interim head coach for Detroit in 2020 and went 3-1 against the spread (ATS).
At 4-9 ATS, the Jaguars are better than only the New York Jets, who are 3-10. The Bears are also 4-9 ATS this season. Jacksonville has failed to cover the spread by an average of 5.9 points per game.
